Angik School House Teams t he o okpiks,

the a maruqs, the n anuks and the q avviks. t he idea for creating house teams for a ngik s chool in Paulatuk was born during a staff meeting at the school a couple years ago. From there the whole concept has sky-rocketed, says Jessica s chmidt, a k -2 teacher and a long-time staff member.

In Inuvialuktun, “ookpik” stands for the word owl, “amaruq” for wolf, “nanuk” for polar bear, and “qavvik” for wolverine. e ach of the four house teams has an animal symbol: a protector, with which the members of the team can identify. t he owl is wise, the wolf fearless; the nanuk is strong, the wolverine ferocious. e ach animal mascot transcends another in its own characteristic way. t he teams consist of around twenty randomly chosen students and two or three teachers to run the team. t he way they are constructed mixes up classes and age groups.

t he house teams compete for monthly and annual prizes by collecting points. Points can be accumulated by succeeding in competitions that take place roughly once a week, wearing team colors at school, attending and participating actively in class, and so forth. It is a collective effort where everybody’s input counts. In n ovember the students participated in the m usical Chairs contest and in d ecember the House team Christmas Puzzle as well as the Christmas tree d ecoration. d uring m usical Chairs, the giggly students were trying to position themselves in a certain spot to get a chair. In the activity called Christmas Puzzles, they had to piece together their house mascot in a puzzle.

t he winner of the monthly competition enjoys a pizza-and-movie party, which is an award well appreciated among the youth. In January, the o okpiks happily grabbed the pizzas. In the end of the school year, the annual winner is announced. t hey will receive the l iz kuptana Cup shining proudly over the cabinets in the staff room. In 2007, the trophy was ceremoniously delivered to the a maruqs.

t he whole concept of school house teams competing against each other has sprung to a refreshing success. s uch an arrangement would not be feasible with conventional class structures because of age differences. t he kids find the rivalry fun and carry the spirit of their animal protector with pride. t he logos and the team’s characteristic color are a source of excitement for them. s tudents will want to wear their team colors in school. In addition, the house teams have unexpectedly become a handy structural unit for teaching: anything that is happening in the school can be delivered through the teams. In a way, they represent another dimension to the traditional class structure.

t he true beauty of house teams is that the youth appear to have set their eyes on a goal that goes beyond receiving material awards: they simply desire to be better than the other teams. t hey are motivated and follow the progress of the team points with a keen eye. t here is a strong sense of loyalty towards their own team: an a maruq will always be an a maruq, even outside the school.

a ccording to Jessica s chmidt, the competition has resulted in an enhanced school spirit among not only the students but also the teachers. t he staff is in a constant verbal debate, a humorous litany of teases, over whose team is the absolute best. It is not a serious combat but one filled with smirky smiles. a ngik s chool has a good thing going.